If there's a flaw in this beer, and I don't think there is, it's that it's a touch too sweet. It has a powerful, fruity, hop aroma. It has pineapple and citrus hop flavors, with enough of a malty backbone to make it work. It has a bitter finish with enough lingering fruit to balance it. I think this beer relies on fresh, tropical hop flavors that are very fashionable right now. I don't think it does anything to make anything new out of those flavors, and so I think this is a very good beer, but not a great beer.

to start off - really impressed with this beer. not that Founders makes that many bad beer, I guess I just didn't know what to expect.

great pour into the glass, light yellowish copper - a bit lighter than I would have expected. awesome frothy off white head which seemed to last forever and had great lacing to boot clinging all around the glass. very nice oily super citrus hop smell, very wet. orange and lost of grapefruit aroma none of which is overpowering.

the first thing I think of is that it tastes fresh. very good hoppy flavor which follows the aroma, lots of citrus and grapefruit. nice and crisp but very well balanced. full mouth flavor good carbonation level light body.

Pours a clear light yellow color with less than a finger of white head. Fair retension and spotty lacing on the glass. Wow the nose is a large amount of herbal hops. Also picking up on some grass and citrus notes followed a bit by pine in the aroma as well. Nose is all about the hops, and rightfully so. Taste is a very pleasant balance of hop bitterness upfront tasting like grass and herbs, light malt sweetness throughout the body and alcohol warmth in the finish. Moderate to high amount of carb and body that is light. This is really one tasty pale and very drinkable.

Short bottle poured into DT snifter. Served 45-50 F.
A: Pours golden brown with a very large sticky bubbly head. Large lace left around snifter.
S: Bright bitter sweet hops, melons, grapefruit, and a little bit of honey.
T: Sweet malts are followed by fruity hops. Hops are resiny and covers alcohol.
M: Not too carbonated. Slightly syrupy and very warming.
D: Hop profile is very wide and is matched by malts. Very crisp and refreshing.

Pours a gleaming saffron color (maybe a little more orangey), with a 2 finger head that explodes with the scent of sweet hops. Lacing makes a wonderful spider web all the way down the glass.

Smell is better than most IPAs in my opinion, just because I like the wet-hopped idea. Say whatever you want, I just think it's more palatable.

The taste is wonderful too. Since the guy I'm splitting this with is the real hophead and I'm more of a beginner to this category, I'm glad that he likes it as well. As mentioned before, I enjoy the lower bitterness while still maintaining the great hoppy flavor.

A: Small white head that fizzes out pretty quickly. There is a slight haze in the light yellowy orange body. Lacing is decent.

S: Average malt presence of bread and grain. The hops are heavy and have noticeable Centennial qualities. Very floral, piney, grassy and delicious. There are light yeast notes, very leafy, kind of soapy.

T: The hop flavor is extremely clean with a heavy bitterness being more of a mid-palate sensation. Lightly sweet. The 6.5% ABV comes across more than expected, and could even be described as slightly boozy.

M: Fairly full mouthfeel given the style. The texture is thick and oily slick. Lively and fizzy, this brew is nicely carbonated and prepares the palate for the long lingering, bitter finish.

D: While not one of Founders best offerings, the Harvest Ale is still a damn good brew and it is certainly very drinkable. The hop forward aroma and flavor, plus hop:malt ratio in this brew could make a strong case for IPA consideration.

Taste: Juicy hops, earthy and fresh; wonderfully so. Raw and pungent, but not overwhelming or biting, just sitting there comfortably. I would also use crisp, bright, quenching as descriptors. I was not expecting this level of greatness.

Very easy drinking. ABV in a good range if you want to drink a few and still function.
After one, I want another, and another.
Really a pleasure to drink this, very refreshing.

I will be stocking up on this beer every fall from now on. Makes me want to move to Grand Rapids, MI, so I can have this as fresh as possible whenever released.

12 ounce bottle with bottled on date of 9.24.09 poured into the pint glass.

Pours a brilliant golden straw color with a nice 2 finger head. Some carbonation is visible as well as sticky lacing. Smells of hops, orange peels, lemons and musky dough. Taste is dry and bitter. Not much of the complexity that is noticeable in the aroma is present in the quaff. Mouthfeel is spot on with the carbonation and the crispness of the APA. A very solid brew from the brewers of founders, I would prefer to drink this in the fall months but great nonetheless.

T- pretty nice taste, a little bitter for a pale ale, i would say this falls between ipa and pale ale, though its not hoppy enough for an ipa though probably more hoppy than your average pale ale. The wet hops have a different taste, hints of orange come through but they are hints and not as present and powerful as one might expect from the smell. Very interesting taste, very nice.

M- nice and smooth

D- could drink a lot of these, though for the price I paid, I certainly won't be

Snagged a 4 pack while down in Terre Haute, Indiana for work. Went out for a late night walk and stumbled upon the "Bourbon and Canal" liquor store...what a GOLD MINE! Outstanding beer selection and definitely worth the stop if you are ever in The 'Haute!

Appearance- Slightly hazy, very deep golden straw color with a huge effervescent, rocky, eggshell white head that towers up and lingers. Very effervescent! Long lingering head with sticky lacing all they way down the glass. Small slurry of yeasty sediment left in bottle.

Aroma- Fresh hop punch in the olfactory bulbs!! Slightly piney, orange fruit deep in the middle, light grapefruit notes with a subtle hint of warm malt and faint caramel if you try extra hard to sniff them out. Slightly grassy. Very sticky and resinous hop aroma. Quite inviting and almost theraputic aroma.

Flavor- Surprisingly light and quite delicate in flavor, though rich with complex hop notes similar to aroma. Effervescence scrubs most of the starting flavors out but hops quickly gain control of the situation. Slight malt sweetness quickly diminishes to grassy, herbal, resinous fresh hop flavor! A kiss of caramel brings a bigger, dry, almost puckery finish full of fresh hops in the mouth. Long grassy/herbal finish with undertones of soft caramel and fresh warm bread. Some alcohol notable, but just right to warm and cut the hops a touch.

Mouthfeel- Sticky, resinous, almost oily/slick mouthfeel but not overwhelming because CO2 washes/scrubs away the heaviness with each sip. Light to medium body, lonnngggg hoppy finish, high bitterness, very hop centered. High CO2.

Overall- One hell of an ode to the almighty hop! Tastes as fresh as a ripe hop fresh off the vine! Drinkability is relatively high considering the rediculous amounts of hops in this one, maybe 2-3 pints would be tops.

Hop flavors and aromas mellow out pretty good with time on this one, so drink it fresh if you really want a hop wallup. Soaked a bottle up on 10/14/2009 and then another on 1/11/2010 for comparison. Becomes slightly more balanced with time as malt flavors are unveiled with the diminishing hop intensity. Still one heck of an herbal/grassy fresh hop flavor though 3 months later! Great wet hop brew, definitely need to try this!

The beer is poured a bright orange to yellow color with hints of amber along the sides of the glass. A quarter inch white colored head, thinning out to a light layer on top. A grassy and pine fragrance strikes the nose, with the feint scent of citrus, mostly grapefruit and lemon. A strong malt flavor, with a hearty bread flavor then halfway across the palate, a hop bitterness brining the flavors of grapefruit, grass, and pine dominate the taste. A slightly thin feel at the front, then gradually gains weight to become more of a medium bodied feel. This beer is drinkable, for a hophead, a strong bright color, an intense aroma, with palate abusing hop flavors. The textures inconsistency does bring the beer down.

Oh Founders, you did it again!
This is one hoppy smelling beer. Pours a clear amber/yellow/orange color with a nice white head. Smells of hops. Taste like hops. Must be hoppy! And yes, it is hoppy. Semi good lacing. I don't really pick up a whole lot of malt in this one. Fairly one sided but I expected that from this. Light to medium mouthfeel.

Pours a near-radioactive yellow color with a half finger of foam that dissipates quickly but leaves copious lacing.

Smells fantastic, huuuge hop aroma. Mostly citrus, grapefruit aromas.

Taste is kinda vegetal, leafy, a raw flavor that isn't entirely good. The bitterness seems lower than the 70 IBU stated on the bottle. There is a moderate amount of sweetness behind it, but it takes a backseat to the raw hop flavor.

Overall, this beer is very good, but I wonder if hops are dried before using them in beer for a reason. I love hoppy beers, but this one comes across a little too green to get top marks.

Revisit Edit:
Brilliant clarity. The meld of sugary hops with candied malts is stunning. Hands down, this is the best fresh harvest ale I have ever had. @ 70 IBUs, you just a hint of bitterness. This is one of my favorite smelling beers.

I missed this one last year. i will NEVER let that happen again. you want a fresh beer? this bad boy is the freshest, juiciest (can i say juiciest?) harvest out there right now. i snatch up these four packs like its going out of style now. if i had to find a flaw it would be that the appearance is very light. it smells of intense citrus, resin, and it is sticky. this is the beer that got my roommate off macros. he hasn't looked back. i feel like a proud dad.

This beer pours an orange color with golden hues. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes slowly into decent lacing. This is a sharp looking beer. The aroma is as green as I've ever experienced. I think I can accurately describe it as smelling as if there are hop cones still submerged in the beer. And I'm actually surprised that there aren't. The malt bill is reminiscent of that of Founder's Centennial IPA, and Pale Ale, and that is alright by me. The taste is akin to the aroma. The leafy, grassy, hoppy character is very sharp, while the malt profile is nice and soft. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a great beer. If only someone could invent a hop that could be harvested year round so beers like this could be brewed year round. As is this will be one of my most looked forward to beers of the fall.

Polished tangerine with honey hued highlights and a fine yeasty haziness. The top third of the Founders pint glass is filled with an attractive crown of bubbly foam that is aged ivory in color. Cheese grater-like lace is impressively extensive and looks like it will stick around for the duration.

Despite being roughly four months of age, the nose on this wet-hopped American pale ale is still pretty aromatic. Sunshine bright citrus juicy top notes are perfectly complemented by a mid-range fruit peel muskiness. Assuming only a single hop was used (which is often the case in beer of this sort), I'll go with Cascade.

Harvest Ale is good beer that still has more than a little lupulin life left in it. There is no question that it was more aggressive back in August, but hopheads will still find enough flavor and bitterness for it to be worth their while. Another month and... don't wait that long. Drink whatever bottles are in your possession... right... now!

The malt component is slightly toasted and doesn't impinge too awful much on the (still pretty) fresh hop flavor. Citrus fruit rules the day, on the order of lemon, orange and white grapefruit. Simple, straightforward and hopilicious. What's not to like?

A gorgeous array of lace earns the appearance score an increase. The mouthfeel is fine for the style. It has just the right amount of heft and contains bubbles that stay in the background, yet tickle the tongue to a minor degree.

It's a shame that I wasn't able to experience Harvest Ale immediately after bottling. That said, it has held up remarkably well and is pleasing me to no end this morning. Hoppy beer is a fine way to start the day, spend the day and end the day. Good job Founders.

The appearance is golden with a half finger white head. The color is almost yellow, but the clarity is very good. Leaves a light spider lacing on the sides of the glass.

The smell is of sugary grapefruit hops.

The taste is of light fruity hops paired with a bit of ABV. There is almost no malt characteristic in this at all and could probably do with having a bit more backbone.

Nice oily mouthfeel with perfect carbonation.

The drinkability is good, not very heavy on the mouthfeel and hoppy enough to be very enjoyable. This is very good and would be a good one to have a little fresher. This was bottled in August, so a bit fresher would do it some justice.

12oz bottles poured into Founder's pint glasses. My dad who loves his coors remembered this beer from last year and wanted one, who am I to say no?

Bright gold with minimal new copper making it's way into the mix. A nicely formed cap blossoms after only a few ounces leave the bottle, eventually forming a nicely figured one inch off white creamy head, it dies though, only to a small cap that leaves slightly window covering lace. Beautiful beer here.

For a pale ale, this beer has a nice juicy citrus bursting scent that is grapefruit up front. It's hard to get around the grapefruit, it's right there the whole time. A big floral quality comes up as well. Some pale malt comes out with bisquits. The hops shine for a wet hopped beer.

Speaking of Im not a wet hop kind of guy, it just doesen't tickle my fancy like others but I respect it. This beer is an exception, at least in the bottle. I had this on tap and the bottle is far superior IMO. With the tap version I got a big floral taste from the hops where I find the bottles to be more grapefruit citrus forward. Along with the grapefruit blast just enough malt balances this out making this well rounded. Some small mango with papaya and some bread towards the end.

This just feels right. I don't have a bad thing to say about the feel. Im loving the new non twist off caps founder's, keeping it fresh. Medium bodied with a sharp but short bite of carb that comes and goes in between the citrus. This is a souped up pale ale and im in for the ride.

I could and would drink a four pack of this a day, it's my favorite wet hopped beer and one of my favorite pale's, but that's just nitpicking, Founder's Harvest is Damn good beer, go get some. Cant wait till next year's release.

I got this bottle as part of two massive Secret Santa boxes from Gcurlow. Thanks Grant!

Founders harvest Ale has a very clear, light golden body with a small, thin white head. Not a lot of retention or lacing left behind.

There are a ton of hops in the nose of this one; the fresh, wet hops are still grassy and noticeable, and there is a good bit of bitterness and grapefruit aroma too. Some light malt pokes its head through also.

Founders Harvest has a lot of hops in the flavor too, but overall it is a pretty balanced beer. Lots of grapefruit with just a touch of grassy hops that intensify toward the finish. The malt profile adds some light, crackery sweetness that serves to balance but not overpower the hops.

Mouthfeel is light and fairly effervescent.

This one went down smoothly and quickly, another great beer from a great brewery.

Taste:opens with a nice simcoe hop as a dark malty backbone emerges in the middle. Right as the finish approaches a clean bittering hop profile comes in leaving a slightly clean and bitter after taste. TASTY
In the middle there is a hint of fresh sweet fruit sourness that comes in and out of the flavor profile.
Mouthfeel: moderately carbonated, and smooth with a light body. The carbonation mellows out as this warms up. Very clean.

Drinkability: I would definitely have this again and recommend this to a hop lover where the flavor profile is nicely balanced where the hoppy bitter finish really is a nice change.

A - The Harvest Ale is a lightly hazy golden straw yellow with a small, one-finger head. Off-white and densly packed with low retention and little lacing. Lots of carbonation streaming up from the bottom.

S - Lots of fresh hops on the nose with a touch of pine to the grapefruit citrus and fruity mango nose. Sweet pale malts in the background but hops dominate the nose.

T - The wet hops still taste fresh and have a lot of grapefruit citrus with a fruit-punch flavor. Pale malts in the background but it's really one-dimensional to the hops overall. That's not to say its bad by any means.

M - Medium-light bodied with a crisp, refreshing carbonation spritz and a dry, lightly citrusy-bitterness. Despite the low malt presence, it really balances out that 70 IBUs in the end.

D - The flavor is good and the smell brings a lot of fruit to the nose. Even the non-hop-loving girlfriend likes this one! A solid brew worth buying a four-pack or two of. A good brew all around I wish I had more of!